Jacob in the Bible Was Father of the 12 Tribes of Israel By Jack Zavada Updated August 08, 2016. Jacob was one of the great patriarchs of the Old Testament, but at times he was also a schemer, liar, and manipulator. God established his covenant with Jacob's grandfather, Abraham . The blessings continued through Jacob's father, Isaac , then to Jacob and his descendants. Jacob's sons became leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel . The younger of twins, Jacob was born holding on to his brother Esau 's heel. His name means "he grasps the heel" or "he deceives." Jacob lived up to his name. He and his mother Rebekah cheated Esau out of his birthright and blessing. Later in Jacob's life, God renamed him Israel, which means "he struggles with God." In fact, Jacob struggled with God his entire life, as many of us do. As he matured in faith , Jacob depended on God more and more. But the turning point for Jacob came after a dramatic, all-night wrestling match with God. In the end, the Lord touched Jacob's hip and he was a broken man, but also a new man.

From that day forward, Jacob was called Israel. And for the rest of his life he walked with a limp, demonstrating his dependence on the Lord. Jacob finally learned to give up control to God. Jacob's story teaches us how an imperfect person can be greatly blessed by God--not because of who he or she is, but because of who God is. Accomplishments of Jacob in the Bible Jacob in the Bible account fathered 12 sons, who became leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel. One of them was Joseph, a key figure in the Old Testament. His name is frequently associated with God in the Bible: the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob persevered in his love for Rachel. He proved to be a hard worker. Jacob's Strengths Jacob was clever. Sometimes this trait worked for him, and sometimes it backfired on him. He used both his mind and strength to build his wealth and family. Jacob's Weaknesses Sometimes Jacob made his own rules, deceiving others for selfish gain. He did not trust God to work things out. Even though God revealed himself to Jacob in the Bible, Jacob took a long time to become a true servant of the Lord.

He favored Joseph over his other sons, leading to jealousy and strife within his family. Life Lessons The sooner we trust God in life, the longer we will benefit from his blessings. When we fight God, we are in a losing battle. We often worry about missing the will of God for our life, but God works with our mistakes and bad decisions. His plans cannot be upset. Hometown Canaan. References to Jacob in the Bible Jacob's story is found in Genesis chapters 25-37, 42, 45-49. His name is mentioned throughout the Bible in connection with God: "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." Occupation Shepherd, prosperous owner of sheep and cattle. Family Tree: Sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Gad, Asher, Joseph, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali Daughter: Dinah Key Verses Genesis 28:12-15 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

There above it stood the LORD, and he said: "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land.

I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." ( NIV ) Genesis 28:20-22 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father's household, then the LORD will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth." (NIV) Genesis 32:28 Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome." (NIV) Who Was Isaac in the Bible? Miracle Son of Abraham By Jack Zavada Updated December 22, 2016. Isaac was a miracle child, born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age as the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham to make his descendants a great nation. Three heavenly beings visited Abraham and told him in a year he would have a son.

It seemed impossible because Sarah was 90 years old and Abraham was 100! Sarah, who was eavesdropping, laughed at the prophecy, but God heard her. She denied laughing. God told Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?' Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son." (Genesis 18:13-14, NIV ) Of course, the prophecy came true. Abraham obeyed God, naming the baby Isaac, which means "he laughs." When Isaac was a youth, God ordered Abraham to take this beloved son to a mountain and sacrifice him . Abraham sadly obeyed, but at the last moment, an angel stopped his hand, with the knife raised in it, telling him not to harm the boy. It was a test of Abraham's faith, and he passed. For his part, Isaac willingly became the sacrifice because of his faith in his father and in God. Later, Isaac married Rebekah , but they found she was barren, just as Sarah had been.

As a good husband, Isaac prayed for his wife, and God opened Rebekah's womb. She gave birth to twins: Esau and Jacob . Isaac favored Esau, a burly hunter and outdoorsman, while Rebekah favored Jacob, the more sensitive, thoughtful of the two. That was an unwise move for a father to take. Isaac should have worked to love both boys equally. What Were Isaac's Accomplishments? Isaac obeyed God and followed his commands. He was a loyal husband to Rebekah. He became a patriarch of the Jewish nation, fathering Jacob and Esau. Jacob's 12 sons would go on to lead the 12 tribes of Israel. Isaac's Strengths Isaac was faithful to God. He never forgot how God saved him from death and provided a ram to be sacrificed in his place. He watched and learned from his father Abraham, one of the most faithful men of the Bible. In an era when polygamy was accepted, Isaac took only one wife, Rebekah. He loved her deeply all his life. Isaac's Weaknesses To avoid death by the Philistines, Isaac lied and said Rebekah was his sister instead of his wife.

His father had said the same thing about Sarah to the Egyptians. As a father, Isaac favored Esau over Jacob. This unfairness caused a serious split in their family. Life Lessons God answers prayer . He heard Isaac's prayer for Rebekah and allowed her to conceive. God hears our prayers too and gives us what is best for us. Trusting God is wiser than lying. We are often tempted to lie to protect ourselves, but it almost always results in bad consequences. God is worthy of our trust. Parents should not favor one child over another. The division and hurt this causes can result in irreparable harm. Every child has unique gifts that should be encouraged. Isaac's near-sacrifice can be compared to God's sacrifice of his only son, Jesus Christ , for the sins of the world . Abraham believed that even if he sacrificed Isaac, God would raise his son from the dead: He (Abraham) said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you." (Genesis 22:5, NIV ) Hometown The Negev, in south Palestine, in the area of Kadesh and Shur.

References to Isaac in the Bible Isaac's story is told in Genesis chapters 17, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 31, and 35. Throughout the rest of the Bible, God is often referred to as "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." Occupation Successful farmer, cattle and sheep owner. Family Tree Key Verses Genesis 17:19 Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him." ( NIV ) Genesis 22:9-12 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said.

"Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."(NIV) Galatians 4:28 Jacob | Bible.org Before we deal directly with Jacob, we will look at the rest of the family. His Father - Isaac What about Isaac? If you read Genesis and look for all the things Isaac did. You’ll find that not much space is devoted to him and he really didn’t do anything significant. I was making a chart of Genesis and plotting the main characters or patriarchs to show what their main contribution and character were, and all I could come up with to describe Isaac was “Passive Acceptance.” He accepted his father’s near sacrifice of him, which is good, but the main point of that event is Abraham’s faith. Isaac did nothing else of significance in the entire book. Isaac didn’t go out to find his own wife. I’ve been told, that it is a literary device in ancient Hebrew literature to have men first meet their wives at some well or spring. What happens at the well is indicative of the relationship. For instance, Moses met his wife at the well. He delivered her from the bandits.

What he did there was a foreshadowing of his deliverance of Israel. Jacob met his wife at a spring. He had difficulty removing the stone so he could drink. That was a foreshadowing of the fact that Rachel’s womb would be closed and they would have difficulty having children. But Isaac didn’t even go to the well. His father’s servant went and found a wife (at the well) for him and brought her back home. I think this gives the reader an early clue as to his passive nature. We will see other clues as we read through the narrative. His Mother - Rebekah All this weakness in Isaac let Rebekah take over. It was her natural tendency. I say that because it is every woman’s tendency is to want to take over when the man does not lead. In Gen 3:16, when it says the woman’s desire will be for her husband, it means that the woman’s desire will be to rule over her husband, because the next phrase is, “but he will rule over you.” Isaac’s natural tendency was to be passive, so she took over the family and Jacob’s life. Rebekkah had problems.

When her twins are born, she shows partiality to Jacob, the non-hairy weaker looking one. Gen 25:27 says Jacob spent most of his time at home. So Rebekah takes over his life and arranges everything for him. She teaches him how to cook. She arranges for him to get the blessing, she arranges for his deliverance from Esau by sending him to her brother Laban, telling him everything will work out fine. I think if we go to Gen 24:15 we might see one reason that Rebekah was like this. Notice that the marriage arrangements made by Abraham’s servant for Isaac and Rebekah are all made with Laban. Why? Their father is not dead. Rebekah’s father, Bethuel, is only mentioned in vs 15 as being the father and in verse 50 where he just acquiesses and gives permission for Abraham’s servant to take Rebekah. All the negotiations were made with Laban. I don’t think it is reading too much into the text to conclude that Bethuel was an uninvolved father. We can see the results in Rebekah.

She had no advocate, so she took over and became a controlling woman. When she got married, she took over her family. His Brother - Esau The first thing that we learn about Esau is that he was a skillful hunter. I’m not sure this is such a great compliment though. Henry Morris points out that hunting was unnecessary because with the large heard of sheep, there was plenty to eat. This may mean that Esau was always away hunting as opposed to being at home helping with the chores and the sheep. We might conclude that he was irresponsible. We do know that Esau was impulsive. He didn’t take his birthright seriously. He lived for the moment and didn’t care about God’s laws concerning marrying foreign women. Esau later married a daughter of Ishmael to try to please his father (not God). But it was too late and, even this is a paradox, because it shows that Esau cannot escape being out of the chosen line. His new wife is not of the chosen line either. So I think we can see that Jacob came from a fairly typical family. His mother had a tendency to want to take control. The father let her.

His brother was just a natural man concerned with the things of this world. This is the kind of family that Hollywood models for us. For example, The Cosby Show. So how did all this affect Jacob? We’ve already seen some of it as we talked about the rest of the family, but let’s work through the ten chapters and see what we can learn. Jacob The Stolen Birthright (Genesis 25) In verse 28 we see that Isaac favored Esau because he “had a taste for game.” Esau was the strong hunter. He was everything that Isaac was not, and perhaps Isaac, a weak man, was trying to re-live his life through his son’s life. Whatever the reason, it was an illegitimate one because it is never good to play favorites. I’m sure this had its ill effects on Jacob. He probably had to manipulate his father to get attention. I’m not so sure this is as great an indictment against Jacob as it is against Esau. The author of Genesis only has comments about Esau and says, “Thus Esau despised his birthright” (vs 34). I do think we can assume that Jacob knew that he was supposed to end up with the birthright eventually.

I’m sure his mother told him what the Lord had told her. What this event shows us is that Jacob was not willing to wait on the Lord. The Importance of the Birthright (Genesis 26) In chapter 26 we do see something significant. It is not what Isaac did, though. It is what God did for Isaac. Chapter 26 gives us examples of how God blessed Isaac. When the famine hit, God said He would be with Isaac and bless him—because of His promise to Abraham. Consequently, Isaac prospered in everything. Even though he lied to Abimelech about his wife being his sister, God looked out for him (10). His crops produced a hundredfold (12). He became rich (13). When the Philistines filled in his wells, he had no trouble digging and finding water (18-19). The significance of this chapter is that it demonstrates that the blessing which Isaac was to pass on in chapter 27 was something worth having. It wasn’t just a double portion of a sizable inheritance. It was the very blessing of God. Chapter 26 sets the stage for what happens in chapter 27.

The Stolen Blessing (Genesis 27) It is very interesting to take chapter 27 as a play and separate it into scenes. Notice the interchange between characters. Who deals with whom throughout the play? Fokkelman points out the following: Isaac sends Esau to get game Rebekah tells Jacob to prepare food for Isaac Isaac blesses Jacob Esau returns but is not blessed Rebekah warns of Esau’s anger Rebekah tells Isaac to send Jacob away Isaac Rebekah Isaac Isaac Rebekah Isaac Esau Jacob Jacob Esau Jacob Rebekah Act One - (27:1-4) - Isaac tells Esau to go get game Isaac is about to disregard God’s word. Esau is not going to honor his agreement with Jacob when he sold his birthright. Rebekah overhears the conversation - Eavesdropping perhaps? We don’t have this directly stated, but Fokkelman points out that when the author represents “Rebekah as an eavesdropper behind the scenes [that] is more pregnant than dwelling upon her plans and intentions.” And of course, it is her idea to deceive Isaac into giving Jacob the blessing.

Act Two - (27:5-17) - Rebekah tells Jacob to deceive Isaac This is a perfect example of how she manipulated events to achieve what she thought was best. She knew God had said that Esau would serve Jacob. She knew Isaac knew it too. When Isaac decided to ignore God’s word, it was not Rebekah’s duty to go around Isaac and trick him. We know that because of the results that were achieved, namely, a torn up family. If she had had any type of relationship with Isaac, then she should have been able to talk to him, but they obviously did not. I think this also illustrates how Rebekah has denied her husband and her marriage. Her priority should be to become one with and to support her husband. But we see that her child is more important to her than her husband. Act Three -- (27:18-29) - Isaac blesses Jacob Isaac is fooled by the smell of the clothing and the hairy arms and blesses Jacob. Act Four - (27:30-41) - Esau is cursed Esau had not forgotten his promise to Jacob. He mentions it in vs 36.

Act Five - (27:42-45) - Rebekah warns Jacob Rebekah tells Jacob that Esau is going to kill him and that he must leave. Act Six - (27:46) - Rebekah convinces Isaac to send Jacob away. Another prime example of her manipulative style is seen in 27:46. When Rebekah fears for Jacob’s life, she goes to Isaac, and by using a logical reason that Jacob needed a wife, she manipulates Isaac into sending Jacob away. Her real goal was to protect him, not to find him a wife. Rebekah never saw Jacob again. That was her reward for her meddling. This is not a close knit family. There are definite problems in the relationships. Notice that Esau and Jacob do not interact. Notice that Esau and Rebekah do not interact. It looks like we have Isaac and Jacob interacting, but remember that Isaac thinks it’s Esau. And finally and perhaps most importantly, Isaac and Rebekah do not interact until the whole thing is over and she wants Isaac to send Jacob away.

So chapter 27 shows us again that Jacob could not wait on God to fulfill His promise to Rebekah. The Dream (Genesis 28) It is ironic but Jacob is now leaving the promised land which was part of his blessing. It ought to be obvious to Jacob that there is something wrong with this picture. It ought to indicate that the way Jacob got the blessing was not what God would have planned. However, we see that in spite of Jacob’s deceitful way of obtaining the blessing, God is going to honor it. I think in vss 20-21 we see that Jacob is still being a manipulator and he is trying to manipulate God. “If God will do ________, then He will be my God.” God has just promised that He will bless Jacob, but Jacob doesn’t really believe Him. He is trying to cut a deal. We can also see by Jacob’s bargain that he is focused on physical blessings. He is a very horizontal man. Dealing With Laban (Genesis 29-31) Jacob finally met his match. He finally meets someone who is as deceitful as he is. Laban had the same upbringing as Rebekah and he was a manipulator too.

Perhaps the point is this: “There is always someone out there or some situation that you can’t handle.” Chapters 29-31: tell how Jacob worked seven years for Rachel and then on his wedding night, Laban sent Leah into the tent instead of Rachel. He then worked seven more years for Rachel. Then he worked another six or seven years to build a flock of his own to provide for his family. There was much deception going on between Laban and Jacob as each tried to make his flocks grow larger, but in the end God blessed Jacob and he became very prosperous. He finally decides to sneak away to get away from Laban. Paradoxes The father (Isaac) who goes against the oracle, ends up fulfilling it in the end with his own blessing. Jacob’s own efforts to become lord of his own family only lead him into slavery to Laban. Jacob, the younger brother, supplants the older brother. Laban says, “It is not the practice in our place to marry off the younger before the first-born.” (29:26) You know that has to remind him of his own deception.

The Wrestling Match With God (Genesis 32) In Genesis 32: we have the account of the wrestling match with God. Jacob is coming back to meet Esau and is wondering how his brother is going to react. When he left the land Esau was trying to kill him. He has sent his servants ahead (vs 3-5), bearing gifts to bribe Esau. He had resources he could use to save himself. In verse 6 the messengers come back and say that Esau is coming to meet them with 400 men. It looks like Esau is bringing warriors to destroy them. In verses 7-8 we see that Jacob devises another plan to save himself. He decides to divide his family putting Leah and her children and servants in one group and Rachel and her children and servants in another group. That way he can cut his losses if one group is destroyed. Verses 9-12 show Jacob praying to God for deliverance. It looks like Jacob is going to finally give up and depend on God, but verses 13-23 show that he was really still trying to control the situation and save himself.

So I went back and re-studied his prayer in verses 9-12. It may be my imagination, but I think Jacob is trying to manipulate God in his prayer. In verse 9 he is claiming God’s promise that He would bless Jacob. In verse 10 he gives God the credit for his prosperity and then he again claims God’s promise to bless him in verses 11-12. It seems to me that Jacob was almost saying to God, “Come through for me God. You promised me. You owe me!” So I don’t think his prayer was one of total dependence on God. Verse 13 proves it when we see he is going to continue with his plan to bribe Esau and to divide his family into two groups. The next few verses (13-23) lay out the elaborate scheme he had devised to protect himself. But that night God, who is still trying to get through to Jacob, meets with Jacob. Verse 24 says, “Jacob was left alone.” It is such a little phrase, but I think it is very, very important. He had run out of resources. Jacob has finally been broken. Jacob is at the end of his rope.

His life is a mess. He is all alone, he has exhausted his own resources and has to face Esau alone. I think Jacob is finally broken to the point where he will now trust in God. What did God do to Jacob when He wanted to get hold of Jacob’s life? He revealed Himself to him. As soon as we see that Jacob is alone, it says that “a man wrestled with him.” That man is God. We know that because Jacob is given a new name, “Israel” which means “he fights with God.” Why does God say “let me go” in vs 26? Because daybreak would have revealed His face to Jacob and Jacob would have died. But Jacob wouldn’t let go. He says, “I won’t let you go unless you bless me.” Jacob has finally come to the point where he would rather die than live without God’s blessing. Notice also that Jacob’s name was changed to Israel when he finally began to trust in God. Israel was God’s covenant name for the new nation. The name “Jacob” represents independence from God and “Israel” represents dependence on God.

It is not a hard and fast rule, but it seems to me that there are certain places in the OT where God calls the nation, “Jacob,” instead of, “Israel,” and it is because they are acting independent. Incidentally, after he meets with God, we turn to Gen 33:3 and see that although he left the people divided into two groups, instead of hiding behind them, he now goes out in front of them to face Esau alone. He now is depending on God and not his own resources. Esau receives him openly and it seems that there are no hard feelings. God has paved the way for Jacob to return to the promised land. The story doesn’t end with the words, “And he lived happily ever after.” I’m sure Jacob continued to struggle with his tendency toward manipulation. But I think he had learned his lesson. What we’ve studied this morning gives us a good picture of possible circumstances and problems and the process involved in depending on God. Summary We’ve looked at Jacob’s family and Jacob himself this morning. So we need to ask the “So what” questions. What about Jacob’s family? I think we can conclude that he was raised in a less than desirable family. His mother dominated and manipulated.

His father was passive and did not follow God’s will. His brother was very worldly. He had no good role models to follow. So he developed a wrong style of relating to people. Does this give Jacob an excuse? No! That is something we really need to emphasize because of the way our society thinks. We are not helpless victims. We either react wrongly to our environment or we act correctly I spite of our environment. Jacob reacted wrongly to his upbringing. What was Jacob’s problem? He wanted to control his life, so he manipulated people. Jacob’s problem was he thought he could make it on his own without God. We are just like Jacob because we try to handle life on our own without God. Maybe we are looking for a best friend who is going to be there when we need them. Maybe we are looking for that perfect job which is going to offer us security through a regular paycheck or give us enough money to buy the things we want. Maybe we manipulate our spouses or other people to get the things we want. But all this doesn’t work. I continually go back to Hosea 2:5-6 which says 5 Their mother has been unfaithful and has conceived them in disgrace.

She said, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me my food and my water, my wool and my linen, my oil and my drink.’ 6 Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way. 7 She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go back to my husband as at first, for then I was better off than now.’ Jacob did this. And we do this. We think we can find happiness apart from God. We think we are in control of our lives. But God will not allow us to succeed without him. He will block our efforts to satisfy ourselves and lead us back to Him. I think we can see how he did this with Jacob. And if we reflect on our own lives a little, I think we can see how He does this to us.

JACOB: steals from Esau, meets an Angel, Dinah raped, sale of Joseph Bible study ideas for moreJacob - lies, lies, lies Jacob, son of Isaac and Rebecca, twin brother of Esau, husband of the sisters Rachel and Leah, and father of the twelve sons who became the ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel Rachel, his beloved wife, mother of Joseph and Benjamin; she died giving birth to Benjamin Leah her older sister, also married to Jacob. The unloved wife who bore her husband six sons and a daughter. Joseph, favored son of Jacob Labin, father of Rachel and Leah The birth of Esau and Jacob Rebecca, wife of Isaac, bore twin sons, Esau and Jacob. When they were born they seemed to be scrambling for first place: Esau came first, but Jacob came out holding onto Esau's tiny heel. They were in competition from the start. But they were quite different in personality. Jacob was a thinker, a man who preferred to stay close to home. Esau was a man's man, a hunter and farmer. As the old saying goes, one was an 'arty', the other was a 'hearty'.

Theft of the Birthright and Blessing Jacob hated being second in line. He always wanted the birthright - the eldest son was entitled to twice the inheritance that any of his brothers got when their father died. One day when Esau came in from the fields, famished with hunger and exhausted, Jacob refused to give him the food he was cooking unless Esau renounced the birthright of the eldest son and gave it to him. Esau probably didn't take him too seriously, and when Jacob insisted he gave in, to get his hands on the food. He swore an oath that Jacob would have the birthright of the eldest son. Their father Isaac loved Esau better than Jacob, but Jacob was his mother's favorite. She decided that he, not Esau, would be a better leader of the tribe, and she primed Jacob on how to steal the Blessing from Esau - the Blessing of the tribal leader had ritual and legal significance, naming the next leader of the tribe. Rebecca waited until Isaac's eyesight was failing badly, then she disguised Jacob so that Isaac mistook him for Esau.

Jacob was a willing partner to the trickery, disguising his voice, skin and clothing so that Isaac would think he was speaking to Esau. The old man then gave the Blessing not to the son he favored, but to Jacob. Read the Bible Text Jacob's dream Knowing that Esau would be enraged by what he had done, Jacob fled. He took his mother's advice and set off for Padan-Aram, where her family still lived. On the journey he stopped one night and lay down to sleep, laying his head on a flat stone. While he was asleep he had a strange dream that affected him deeply. He dreamed he saw a ladder reaching from the earth up to heaven, and angels were going up and down the ladder. Then God stood beside him and spoke, telling Jacob that this land should be his, and that he would have innumerable descendants. Then Jacob woke up, and was afraid. God was in this place, and Jacob had somehow stumbled on a place that joined heaven and earth. Next morning he took the stone he had used as a pillow and set it up as an altar, pouring oil on it to sanctify it. He called the place Bethel.

Marriage with two sisters Then he set out again on his journey to his mother's family. He came to a well where some shepherds were watering their flocks. A young girl wanted to draw water from the well, and Jacob learnt from the shepherds she was Rachel, a cousin of his, daughter of his mother's brother Laban. He was smitten. He rolled the stone away from the lid of the well for her and she took him to meet his relatives. Laban had two daughters, Leah and Rachel. Jacob wanted to marry Rachel, and said so. But he had no bride price, and Laban demanded that Jacob work for him for seven years to pay the bride price for Rachel. This Jacob did, and at the end of the seven years he prepared to marry Rachel. But Laban tricked him into marrying Lead instead - the face of the bride was hidden during the wedding, and once they'd had sexual intercourse in the darkness of the wedding night, there was no going back. Of course when Jacob found out he'd been tricked he was white-hot with anger. He had tricked his father Isaac but now had been tricked in turn by his uncle.

He demanded to be given Rachel, and was so threatening that Laban agreed - on condition that Jacob work another seven years for her. This he did - but the anger inside him rankled, and he planned a way to get even. Read the Bible Text This paintings by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel is labelled 'Jacob, Joseph'. On the left side sits Jacob - and the face given him by Michelangelo suits the deceitful man in Genesis very well. Beside him is a rather sickly Rachel (she dies at the birth of her second son) with her first son Joseph. On the right side is Leah 'of the beautiful eyes', blessed with many sons and a daughter Dinah (far right), whose life will be ruined when she is raped by a man who professes to love her. Be wary of information on art websites that tells you the 'Joseph' referred to in this painting is Joseph, husband of Mary of Nazareth, and that the female figure on the right is Mary of Nazareth. Comments like this are made by art historians who do not seem to have read the Old Testament stories on which Michelangelo based his Lunettes.

Escape from Laban Jacob now had four wives - two full wives in Leah and Rachel, and their two maids Zilpah and Bilhah. He loved Rachel, but she did not seem able to conceive. Leah on the other hand was fertile. She had six sons and a daughter, Dinah, in rapid succession. Zilpah had two sons, as did Bilhah. Finally Rachel had a son whom she called Joseph. Meanwhile, Jacob and Laban had worked uneasily together. Neither trusted the other, with good reason. When the full bride price had been paid, Jacob asked Laban if he could leave and return to his native country. Laban prevaricated, but they came to an arrangement. Laban's flocks would consist of all the animals who were white. Jacob could have all the animals who were spotted or dark - these were not as valuable as the white animals. Laban thought he had made a bargain, but Jacob took steps to stop the white animals breeding, and put the strong male animals with the spotted or black females, so that he bred a stronger and more numerous flock. He had outwitted Laban.

Figurines from Ur, southern Mesopotamia, 5,000-4,000BC One day, without any farewell, Jacob gathered up his wives, children and flocks, and left. Rachel, who had never forgiven her father for tricking Jacob into marrying Leah, stole the household gods - small statuettes that represented the spirit of her family, similar to the lares and penetes of the Romans. This might seem a petty action, but these statuettes guaranteed legal title to all Jacob had taken from Laban. Jacob did not know she had done this. When he found out three days later, Laban pursued them - to get back his flocks and the statuettes. When they met each one accused the other of cheating - and each one was right. But they agreed to a truce, with each one staying on his own side of an agreed landmark. Laban looked for the statuettes, know they must be in Jacob's camp, but Rachel hid them in a saddlebag then sat on them. She had her menstrual periods, she told her father - and by tribal law this meant he would be unclean if he touched the place where she had been sitting.

He could not search the saddlebags, and so she had her revenge on her father. Read the Bible Text Wrestling with the Angel Jacob moved on. As he approached his home territory, he knew there would be a confrontation with Esau, his wronged brother. He heard that Esau had set out looking for him, and was afraid. Cautiously he sent flocks of animals as a sweetener to appease Esau, then waited to see what would happen. He also sent his wives and children away, so that they would be safe. Jacob Wrestling with an Angel, Gauguin That night, standing alone by the River Jabbok, a solitary man approached Jacob and began to wrestle with him. They wrestled and fought all night, but neither could get the upper hand. Then the stranger struck Jacob in the hollow of his thigh, and Jacob's hip was dislocated. But Jacob held on. The stranger told him to let go, but Jacob demanded a blessing before he would do so. 'What is your name?' asked the stranger. 'Jacob'. 'Now it is no longer Jacob, but Israel', said the stranger. Jacob knew that he had seen God face to face - and lived.

But Esau was still coming, and Jacob had to deal with that. He prepared for the worst, but to his amazement Esau ran to meet him, embracing him and welcoming him. He held no grudges - in fact, throughout the story he is consistently more likable than Jacob. They wept together, and were reunited as brothers, Esau having forgiven his brother completely. Read the Bible Text The rape of Dinah Jacob continued on to the city of Shechem, where he bought land. His family began the process of settling there, and the women began to visit the local women and make friends with them. On one of these visits Jacob's daughter Dinah was molested by the son of the local ruler, Shechem son of Hamor. Molested is too gentle a word. The young girl was raped. Strangely, Shechem seems to have fallen deeply in love with her at the time - the Bible says 'his soul was drawn to her'. He persuaded his father Hamor to ask for her hand in marriage. Nowhere in this story is Dinah's reaction described. Jacob knew what had happened, but his sons did not - they were away in the fields at the time.

When they heard about it they were very angry, but Hamor met with them and told them his sons wanted to marry Dinah, and that this could be the beginning of friendship between the inhabitants of the city and the new settlers. There could be intermarriage, trade and friendship between the groups. But Jacob's sons held onto their anger, and made a condition: that Shechem could only be accepted by them if he was circumcised. Not only Shechem, but every male among Shechem's people. Probably to their surprise, Shechem was more than willing to fall in with their request. There is something rather plaintive in his desire to please Dinah's brothers. He seems truly to have loved Dinah. He persuaded all the men of the city to accept the newcomers as equals, and to be circumcised. He himself led the way. But a few days later, when all the men of the city had been newly circumcised and were in pain with the wound, the sons of Jacob attacked them and the city, killing and looting, stealing the wives and children of the city and taking all the loot they could.

They killed Hamor and Shechem and took Dinah out of Shechem's house where she had gone to live. Jacob was aghast. He himself has been a trickster, but not a murderer. Now the tribe was in real trouble, with a whole new set of enemies. His sons' grisly acts had destroyed the harmony that might have been. Hastily Jacob pulled up roots and fled, taking his family and all they could carry to Bethel where they would be safe. Read the Bible Text The sale of Joseph After they had been in Bethal awhile they set out again, but Rachel was heavily pregnant, and not strong. She had a difficult labor, gave birth to a son called Benjamin, then died. Jacob had lost the woman he loved more than any other. Joseph's Coat Brought to Jacob, Giovanni Andrea de Ferrari Her son lived on - Joseph, and Jacob loved him more than any of his other sons. He favored Joseph in many ways - there is a hint of this in the mention of the long-sleeved coat Jacob gave to Joseph.

Heavy work cannot be done in a long-sleeved coat, so the fact that Joseph gave him this article of clothing meant that Joseph was not expected to do any of the heavy, tedious work of a tribesman or farmer. Unfortunately Joseph's sons were well aware of this, and grew jealous of Joseph. One day when they were well away from Jacob and the rest of the tribe, Joseph's brothers saw a chance to kill him - to get rid of him permanently. Only one of them spoke out against the plan - Reuben, the eldest son of Leah. He suggested that instead of killing him they imprison Joseph in one of the empty water cisterns - he meant to come back later and free his brother. Eventually they ended up selling Joseph as a slave to a passing trader. Jacob was heartbroken when they went back and told their father that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. Joseph, Overseer of Pharaoh's Graneries, Alma Tadema Only many years later did he find out the truth, when he and his sons went to Egypt and met Joseph, not dead at all but doing very well indeed for himself. Jacob died happy, knowing that his son Joseph was successful and respected.

His final request was that Joseph return him to his homeland, to be buried with his ancestors, and Joseph honored this final request. Jacob and Esau - Jewish History Jewish History Jacob Receives Isaac’s Blessing Birth of the Twins Twenty years had passed since Isaac’s and Rebecca’s marriage, but as yet, they had not been blessed with children. Finally, G‑d answered Isaac’s prayers, and Rebecca gave birth to twins. The first child to be born was covered with hair like a fully grown person. His parents called him Esau (from the Hebrew word “osso” -- finish). The second child followed Esau, holding on to his brother’s heel, and Isaac called him Jacob (Yaakov, “One that takes by the heel”). Jacob and Esau Grow Up Although the children were twins and grew up together, they displayed a difference in character. Jacob spent all his time at home, engaged in study with his father and grandfather Abraham. Esau, however, resorted to countless tricks to avoid studying, and spent most of his time in the fields. He enjoyed hunting and killing, and was often absent from his home for many days.

Abraham’s Death Abraham lived to a ripe and happy old age, and died at the age of one hundred and seventy-five. His sons, Isaac and Ishmael, buried him in the Cave of Machpelah. Esau Kills Nimrod On the day of Abraham’s death, Esau had been out in the fields as usual. He had lost his way and was trying to find his way back, when King Nimrod arrived with two servants. Esau hid behind a rock, and when Nimrod was left unguarded, he killed him and fought the two servants who rushed to the aid of their master. Esau escaped with King Nimrod’s clothes. These were Adam’s garments which later became the property of Noah; Noah’s son Ham, who was Nimrod’s grandfather, had subsequently become their owner, and finally Nimrod had acquired them. These divine clothes had made Nimrod a powerful and skillful hunter and a mighty ruler over all other kings. Now Esau had come into possession of the most valuable and cherished property a hunter could desire. Jacob Buys the Birthright The birthright was a sacred privilege enjoyed by the first-born son.

This privilege made the first-born the real heir and successor to his father, as the head of the family. Isaac’s first-born son was to be devoted to the service of G‑d and to the sacred traditions of the family. But in the case of Esau, it soon became apparent that he was not the one to fulfill this sacred duty. Esau did not wish to shoulder this responsibility, preferring a happy and carefree life as a hunter and man of the fields. Jacob, on the other hand, seemed the ideal inheritor and successor. The day that Esau returned from that fateful hunting trip, his clothes still covered with the spatter of mud and blood, Jacob rebuked him for neglecting his holy duty as first-born. Esau, however, ridiculed Jacob and spoke very mockingly of the birthright. Jacob was shocked to hear such abuse of, and disrespect towards, the sacred privilege of the first-born, and proposed to buy the birthright from Esau who willingly agreed to make the deal. Thus Jacob came into the possession of something he cherished more than all the treasures of the world. Isaac Goes To Philistina After Abraham’s death, famine again swept over the land of Canaan.

Isaac wanted to follow the example of his father Abraham and go to Egypt. However, G‑d ordered him never to leave the land that had been promised to his father and to him, and Isaac traveled down only to the land of the Philistines. Isaac took the same precaution his father had taken when he sojourned among the Philistines. He said that Rebecca was not his wife, but his sister. King Abimelech desired to marry Rebecca, for she was the fairest woman he had ever seen. But when he found out that Rebecca was really Isaac’s wife, he was afraid to touch her or Isaac. When Isaac grew very prosperous, the Philistines became envious and requested him to leave. Isaac went to Beer Sheba, where his father Abraham had dwelt. Soon after, Abimelech paid Isaac a friendly visit, desiring to make up for his former unfriendly act. Abimelech asked Isaac to make a treaty of peace with him. This Isaac did, and Abimelech returned to his land.

Question: In the Bible, who was the father of Jacob?
Answer: Isaac